New York City police officers stand by near the Time Warner Center in New York Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018.

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2 months ago

CNN Tonight Goes Off the Air After NYC Bomb Threat

Newser — Rob Quinn

CNN says its New York offices and studios have been given the all-clear after a bomb threat was phoned in Thursday night. The threat at Manhattan's Time Warner Center forced the evacuation of the facility and the closure of part of West 58th Street to vehicle and pedestrian traffic, the New York Post reports.

Police say a man with a southern accent called CNN at around 10pm and said five bombs had been placed in the building, reports the AP.

Fire alarm bells rang in the newsroom and Don Lemon's CNN Tonight, which had been on a commercial break, ceased broadcasting as the network switched to taped programming.

After around 30 minutes, Lemon and Brian Stelter resumed broadcasting from outside the building. "We were told to evacuate the building and to do it as soon as possible," Lemon told viewers.

"We grabbed what we could and got out of the building and now, we are standing outside of the building." After the all-clear was given, CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker thanked authorities for the swift action and praised the "patience and professionalism" of staff.